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"Well, this is just great!" I said, my hands on my hips as I turned to glare at Paen. "Why the hell didn't you mention this before we drove all the way out here?"
"You told me to drive. I assumed you would have a rescue plan. Since you don't, let us create one now."
I looked at Fi
"Yes," he said, gri
"Fine," I said, crossing my arms over my chest while giving Paen a glare that would have scorched a mortal man. "What do you suggest?"
Paen looked thoughtful. "It would help if we knew exactly what sort of weaknesses water demons have. Do either of you know?"
Fi
"Sorry, they didn't teach demonology at Diviners' school."
A burst of noise from the battlefield momentarily distracted Paen. "Hmm. Then we'll have to use what we have here. Sam, tell us more about this lodestone. Is there anything related to it that we can use to gain the upper hand on Pilar?"
I thought. "Well, it's like I told you—it's a sacred place to Fae folk. Not religious sacred, but one revered because it provides a natural bridge between the beyond and this reality."
"So you're more powerful here than you are anywhere else?" Paen asked.
I shook my head. "The power contained in the lodestone is not one we can tap into and use—it permeates the area, rather than people. That's why the ghosts were able…"
I stopped, my eyes meeting Paen's.
"The ghosts," he said, his eyes narrowing as he looked beyond me.
"You think?" I asked, not surprised that we'd had the same thought at the same time.
"Think what?" Fi
"Are they here?" Paen asked, ignoring his brother.
I sca
"What are you thinking?" Fi
"Are you sure they'll have a physical presence?" Paen asked. Fi
Fi
"Well?" Paen asked, clearly as impatient as I was to get on with things.
"I don't see… oh, wait. I think maybe over there." I opened my eyes and headed around the side of the trailer cluster to a flat area that stretched upward to a rocky cliff. "Hello, Uilleam."
The big Scottish ghost turned from where he and a few of his fellow countrymen were perched on an outcropping of rocks, evidently watching the battle scene being filmed. All the men wore the same disgusted looks on their faces.
I held out my arms for him as if I was welcoming an embrace. Uilleam's face lit up. His body did the shimmering thing as he allowed himself to be grounded, striding forward to me with a calculating look in his eye. I ran for Paen and held up a hand for him to stop before he could pull me into another ghostly kiss. "Up to you, master linguist. Let's see if they're interested in helping us fight for Clare."
Four minutes later we streamed over the rocks that marked the edge of the cliff, behind us an army of ghostly Scottish warriors, all of whom were aching for a good brawl.
"You know what this reminds me of?" Fi
"You are going to be one sorry Moravian if you continue with that analogy," I said, giving him a look that let him know I meant what I said. "I have no compunction about decking you if I have to."
Fi
"Sam?" Paen asked, obviously hoping for some insight on my part.
"They're here," I said, holding my hands out, palms down toward the ground. "We're at the heart of the lodestone. I can feel they're here. There's something disturbing the grounding."
"Disturbing it how?"
I tried to locate the source of the disturbance, but the waves of power coming from the location itself were muddying the feeling. "Disturbing it. Making it not happy. I can only assume it's Pilar. Demons normally avoid places strong in power from the beyond, so it makes sense that such places wouldn't like them any more than the reverse."
"Then why did he bring Clare here?" Fi
"Because it provides access to the statue, naturally," a voice called down from above us.
Uilleam shouted and pointed his sword at the cliff face. Standing on a ledge about halfway up, Pilar held a knife to Clare's throat. Beppo sat chirping on a rock next to them. The ghosts roared something that made the hairs on my neck stand on end, and started swarming up the cliff.
"No!" Pilar yelled down at them, dragging Clare backward into what looked like a shallow cave. "Call them off, or I will kill the faery."
"I am not a faery," Clare snapped, trying to glare at the demon who held her by the throat. "I am a lingerie model. There is a huge difference between the two things! Why does no one else see that?"
Paen shouted something to Uilleam. The ghosts stopped their ascent, but they weren't happy about it, snarling and waving their swords around in a menacing fashion.
"She's a faery, she's immortal," I called up to Pilar. "There's no sense in threatening to kill her—you can't."
"I am so not a faery!"
"She'll be dead enough if I decapitate her," Pilar called back.
"Oh!" Clare yelled, looking even more indignant.
"All right, we've stopped the ghosts," I answered, moving a little to the side so I could have an unobstructed view of Pilar. Paen wrapped an arm around me and pulled me up tight against him. "Now, let's talk. Why do you want Clare? She doesn't have any powers except the ability to talk to flowers—"
"You are such a liar," my cousin gasped.
We all ignored her. "—and the ability to wear sackcloth and make it look good. So why do you want her, of all people?"
Pilar laughed. "I wanted her because I thought you were dead. But as you survived, you will do. I will exchange your cousin for you."
"You've got a deal," I said without hesitation, pulling away from Paen.
"Like hell he does," Paen snarled, pulling me back and stuffing me behind him. "You'll take me instead."
"Hey!" I said, slapping my hand on his back. "Less arrogance, if you please. He wants me."
"He's not getting you." You don't honestly believe I'm going to allow a demon to take you, do you?
He can't hurt me, Paen. I'm immortal now, remember?
He can decapitate you just as easily as he can Clare.
But he won't. He needs me.
It's a moot point. I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself.
"You may have your soul, Dark One, but you ca
"I don't have a soul now, so neither can I," I yelled around Paen, up to Pilar.
"No, but you have a cousin who can," he said. "You will be a hostage for her."
"It doesn't matter who can enter what—Sam is here, and I'm not letting her go," Paen said, stubbor
I thumped him on the back again. Paen, truly I appreciate the anguish you feel at the thought of losing me, but I swear to you I'm not going to let him kill me. Again.
No.
We don't have a choice!
"Then we appear to be at an impasse," Pilar said, glancing up at the sky. The clouds that had darkened the sky all day were starting to dissipate, little peeps of a quarter moon shining through the breaks. "It is almost deep night. Do you really wish to continue this stalemate until you run out of time?"